Rihanna (and Apple Music) win the Super Bowl

Whether you watched it for the sport, the iconic half time show, or simply for the ads (we know what this audience is like), Shane Bradnick, Chief Creative Officer at TBWA\NZ, takes us through the advertising highs and lows of an event that attracted 113 million viewers.

Super Bowl LVII (57) is over – the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 38 to 35. It was a good game, with bit of drama and a couple of big plays, but not a great game. In the end, it came down to a silly penalty by Eagles cornerback James Bradbury, which allowed the Chiefs to run out the clock, kick a late game field goal and leave Philly with less than 10 seconds and the hope of a miracle. There was no miracle, just a bit of a boring end to what was a good game. Not really a Super Bowl classic for the ages.

But at least there where the ads! 

Well… there were some good ads, but no great ones. No real classic Super Bowl ads for the ages either.

There were the usual big brands, big celebrities, and even bigger productions budgets.

But there was no Apple 1984, or  Tide It’s a tide ad, no Betty White for Snickers or Budweiser “Wassup!”.

For me the big winner of Super Bowl LVII was the half time show.

Apple returned to the big game with The Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, with Rihanna returning to the stage for the first time in five years. It was epic.

The show started with Rihanna descending from the sky on a floating stage, with her dancers on separate stages alongside her. The floating stages at the centre of the field looked suspiciously like giant iPhones, a nice touch!

RiRi had hinted in the lead up to the show that she may bring a guest, and she used the moment, and her outfit, to announce her and rapper A$ AP Rocky are expecting their second child.

What followed was 12 hits in 13 minutes, fireworks, over 80 dancers moving in perfect sync and the giant floating iPhones moving up and down in time with the music. 

Whilst halftime performers don’t get paid for their time and efforts, they are guaranteed exposure to millions of viewers, Rihanna took this a step further launching a Savage X Fenty Game Day collection and product placements throughout the show. All her back up dancers were wearing Rihanna’s own Savage X Fenty, there was a brief make-up touch up with her Fenty Beauty range and a subtle promotion of a sneaker collab from MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon.

Rihanna’s big comeback performance involved roughly 800 people, including the camera crew, stage crews, 80 dancers, seven band members, and Rihanna herself. It took a crew of 400 breaking the stage down and building it back up and getting it out in eight minutes. 

Essentially the half time show was an epic 13 min ad for Rihanna Inc., brought to you by Apple Music, with Apple now looking to make a full length documentary of the whole experience.

Overall Apple Music Half Time experience and theatrics were a bigger deal than the actual game, and definitely a bigger deal than the good, but not great ads.

P.S. There was one ad that was better than good for me, and in full disclosure it may be because I’m a new dog parent to my puppy Kevin, The Farmers Dog ‘Forever’ managed to put a lump in my throat.

P.P.S There was also one that was way worse than bad, Planters, The Roast of Mr. Peanut made me feel like I was being roasted, I think I was supposed to go and watch the full roast somewhere, but there was more chance of the Eagles getting that miracle with 10 seconds left.

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